It is a truth universally acknowledged that when a protagonist states that she will definitely not get involved in the investigation of the death du jour, a nice person will ask them to clear a loved ones name. It's like Murphy's Law.  Killer Kung Pao: A Noodle Shop Mystery (A Noodle Shop Mystery (6)  is an absolute banger. From the opening with Lana's confrontation with her sister until the end, I was breathless. I really loved the previous book, Egg Drop Dead, but this book took everything I enjoyed and improved it. Lana runs a noodle shop and is witness to a woman (June Yi) rear-ending Millie Mao, a dedicated Mahjong player. Lana experiences another run-in with these two when she has her hair dyed and one of the women is electrocuted! With a nail lamp! Lana is determined to stay out of it per the request of her cop boyfriend, Adam, but a sister asks her to look into things and Lana can't refuse. There's also something possibly hinky with her sisters newest relati

This book is a dream. The writing is sensual and gorgeous and I need to write about it now! The setting is an icy and mysterious city that seems to have no past and the only memories people have are stories told by others. I was invested right away. The story centers on Kallia, an amazingly talented magician who cant get very far because she's a woman (Also, because shes been trapped in a house of illusions dancing for a mysterious man named Jack. Spooky! Right away you get Caraval and Phantom of the Opera vibes what with the masks, and the mirrors, and the games but unfortunately there's no stand in for The Persian in Phantom, which I was really hoping for but I  didn't write it, so noodles! The winner of the contest/game will be allowed to be the opening act for the Conquering Circus, which sounds amazing and is one of the many things in this book that I wish were real. The characters are vibrant and fabulous. Kallia escapes Jack's house of illusions and immediately m